[sims] CPU useage went to 100% on server

[FragglePete]

I've just had a whole load of SIMS users kicked out of SIMS and unable to log in again. The CPUs performace on the server went to 100% at approx 10:30am this morning.

 

I managed to connect onto the server and I have a whole load of error messages in the event log with Event ID: 18059

The connection has been dropped because the principal that opened it subsequently assumed a new security context, and then tried to reset the connection under its impersonated security context. This scenario is not supported. See "Impersonation Overview" in Books Online.

 

But, I just can't see what would cause this. I was just about to reach for the Batphone to Capita when I closed down Acrobat Reader which had a docment open from a Patch that I did last night. As soon as I did this, the CPU useage came back down to normal. This got me thinking; I had a similar issue a last week after I had to shut the server down due to power issues; on reboot it seem to hang and the only thing I noticed was the Adobe Reader Manager service was hogging alot. I killed that service and removed it from starting up automatically and things seemed to get going again. I not sure if this is me clutching at straws or a conicidence but I'm very supsicious of the Adobe Reader....

 

Not sure if anyone offer any other suggestions/help/guidance/eduHobnobs. ?

 

Pete

[Drenlin]

Don't blame you for being suspicious considering the number of updates on a normal workstation. You got me checking our SIMS hosted servers.

Server 2008 did not have Reader installed.

Server 2012 server have Adobe Reader but no update manager. May have to uninstall the reader.

[FragglePete]

Not sure - just had our Deputy Head say that he was setting the academic year for 2014-15 at around that time, but surely that couldn't of been it?Pete

[Linfit]

Could have been - it warns you in the manual that creating a new academic year loads the server heavily and should be done at a quiet period.

[Drenlin]

Even on our hosted servers we do not get constant 100% CPU when a couple of schools are perfoming changes to academic year (but it does slow down).

I guess it is one of those things that cannot be directly tracked but we prefer not to have Adobe load each time we enter a database post upgrade.

[mac_shinobi]

Remove adobe reader completely and install and use foxit reader instead ?

[FragglePete]

Could have been - it warns you in the manual that creating a new academic year loads the server heavily and should be done at a quiet period.

 

Good grief!!!

 

Pete

[vikpaw]

If you install the client on the server for testing, installing adobe reader is a requirement isn't it. Painful.

Doing big tasks on SIMS can affect performance a lot, i've caused spikes by compressing backups during the day as well.

[Drenlin]

If you install the client on the server for testing, installing adobe reader is a requirement isn't it.

 

Only for looking at the manuals. It doesn't stop you performing tasks.

Uninstall Adobe Reader after the client installation. It is only installed as part of the SIMSInfrastructureSetup so it doesn't reappear after an upgrade.

[vikpaw]

Don't you get an infarction after an upgrade when it can't open the 'here's what we changed file' ? I remember one user once getting stuck in a weird screen that they couldn't close, but would also not show anything, post upgrade, because Adobe was not loading on their machine. Be great if you could get rid of it, though i've never had a major issue with server CPU issues, apart from when we had power problems.

[Ashm]

Had a similar issue to this before when the academic year was set/changed. After running the database re-index patch it ran through a lot faster the next time.

[Drenlin]

Don't you get an infarction after an upgrade when it can't open the 'here's what we changed file' ?

 

On the server we on only get a screen "How do you want to open this type of file". Close the question.